My SaaS User Growth System: Get Your First 100

SUMMARY

Simon outlines a proven roadmap for bootstrapped SaaS founders to acquire first 5 to 1,000+ users through targeted strategies like outreach, referrals, content creation, and scalable advertising.

STATEMENTS

Successful SaaS products achieve explosive growth by mastering user acquisition as a science, not luck, through replicable strategies that build and maintain momentum.
User acquisition involves three key elements: method, channel, and cost, which can be combined for free manual efforts or automated scalable approaches depending on the SaaS stage.
The four primary methods of user acquisition are incoming (users reach out), outgoing (you initiate contact), referrals (existing users bring in new ones), and advertising (paid promotion to raise awareness).
For the first five users, use an outgoing method via personal emails or DMs to your close network, offering free lifetime access in exchange for feedback, at zero cost.
After onboarding initial users, create a small community group to gather feedback, fix issues, and involve them in shaping the product, turning them into dedicated advocates.
To scale from five to 100 users, leverage a referral model with shareable links, offering discounts to new joiners and relying on advocates' organic promotion without monetary incentives.
At the 500 to 1,000 user stage, shift to an incoming method by producing long-form content on platforms like YouTube, blogs, and social media to drive self-signups, investing time and monitoring for optimization.
For continuous growth beyond 1,000 users, combine ongoing content with advertising on Google, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, aiming for scalable returns based on revenue per user.
Introduce an affiliate program in later stages to amplify referrals, compensating partners with revenue shares, gift cards, or feature unlocks to sustain momentum.
This roadmap, used to scale three products to over $1M ARR, can be adapted—such as starting ads early—but prioritizes stage-appropriate models for efficient bootstrapping.

IDEAS

Exceptional SaaS success stems less from superior products and more from systematic user base expansion that sustains month-after-month growth.
Early users aren't just testers; treating them as co-creators builds loyalty that fuels organic referrals without financial incentives.
Zero-cost outreach to personal networks can secure the vital first five users, but only if the product genuinely solves their problems.
Referrals from satisfied advocates, paired with early-joiner discounts, create a viral loop that feels exclusive and motivates sharing.
Content creation for incoming traffic demands persistence through low-engagement periods, but eventually automates user inflow via search and social algorithms.
Building in public on platforms like LinkedIn and Indie Hackers shares highs, lows, and lessons to attract engaged audiences organically.
Advertising repurposes proven content into paid campaigns, allowing rapid scaling if aligned with average revenue per user for positive returns.
Affiliate programs at scale can offer 10-50% revenue shares to motivate partners, turning users into a distributed sales force.
For profit-focused growth, target a 3:1 return on ad spend to reinvest partially while pocketing earnings, balancing expansion with sustainability.
Adapting the roadmap flexibly—mixing methods across stages—enables bootstrapped founders to hit $1M ARR without external funding.

INSIGHTS

User acquisition evolves from manual, relationship-driven efforts in early stages to automated, data-optimized systems, mirroring product maturity for sustainable scaling.
Transforming initial users into advocates unlocks free viral growth, proving that exceptional service creates more value than monetary rewards in bootstrapped ventures.
Content marketing's delayed gratification builds long-term assets like SEO rankings and audience trust, outlasting fleeting paid tactics in user retention.
Balancing aggressive reinvestment with profit-taking in advertising decisions defines whether a SaaS pursues hypergrowth or steady automation, tailored to founder goals.
Referral ecosystems, from informal early shares to formalized affiliates, amplify networks exponentially, highlighting human connections as the core of digital expansion.
Stage-specific models prevent resource waste, ensuring methods like outgoing outreach don't overextend while incoming strategies mature into high-leverage funnels.

QUOTES

"This is not just luck this is science and fortunately if we break down what these startups do well we can reproduce it and Achieve explosive results too."
"You're going to use your close Network family friends colleagues Partners people you know personally who you believe would benefit from your product."
"Make sure to serve these users well let them have a big say in how the platform should work and which direction you should take."
"The best way to create an acquisition model using the incoming method is by creating content and building in public."
"If you want to build up a profit you might aim for a 3:1 return on ad spend which means that for each $1 you spend on acquiring a new user that new user earns your SAS $3."

HABITS

Consistently create long-form content like videos and blog posts to rank on search engines and attract organic traffic over time.
Build in public by sharing updates, milestones, lessons, highs, and lows on platforms such as LinkedIn, Hacker News, and Indie Hackers to foster community engagement.
Monitor engagement and conversions from content efforts closely, optimizing based on what drives signups while persisting through low-response periods.
Involve early users deeply by listening to feedback, fixing bugs promptly, and incorporating their feature requests to build advocacy.
Test and scale ad creatives iteratively, reinvesting revenue to achieve desired returns on ad spend for balanced growth.

FACTS

The speaker has launched and scaled three SaaS products to over $1 million in annual recurring revenue using this exact growth system.
Certain bootstrapped SaaS products generate nearly $1 million annually, while others reach that monthly figure within just two years through effective user acquisition.
Affiliate programs in SaaS often provide 10%, 20%, or even 50% shares of recurring revenue to partners to drive large-scale referrals.
A 3:1 return on ad spend allows SaaS companies to reinvest one-third of earnings into further acquisitions while retaining profit.
Zero-cost referral models succeed when early users feel ownership, often without needing revenue cuts, leading to voluntary promotion.

REFERENCES

Discord, Facebook, or WhatsApp groups for building early user communities.
YouTube, Google, LinkedIn, Hacker News, and Indie Hackers for content sharing and building in public.
Google Ads, Meta Ads (for Facebook and Instagram), and TikTok for scalable advertising campaigns.

HOW TO APPLY

Identify five people in your personal network—family, friends, colleagues, or partners—who could benefit from your SaaS MVP, then personally email or DM them offering free lifetime access in exchange for honest feedback to secure your first users.
Once the initial five users are onboarded, set up a dedicated community space like a Discord or WhatsApp group, actively engage by addressing their suggestions, fixing bugs, and involving them in product decisions to cultivate advocates.
Equip your early advocates with personalized referral links and a compelling offer, such as a significant discount for new signups they bring in, encouraging them to share within their networks to reach 100 users organically.
Produce consistent content across channels: craft long-form YouTube videos for search visibility, blog posts for Google rankings, and short-form TikToks or Reels for quick attention, while sharing build updates on LinkedIn and forums to draw incoming traffic for the next 500-1,000 users.
Analyze performing content from stage two, adapt it into paid ads on Google for search, Meta for images/videos, and TikTok for short clips; set budgets based on your revenue per user, targeting at least a 3:1 return, and launch an affiliate program offering 20-50% revenue shares to automate ongoing growth.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Master stage-specific user acquisition methods to bootstrap SaaS from five advocates to thousands of automated users.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Prioritize serving early users exceptionally to transform them into unpaid advocates who drive referrals through genuine enthusiasm.
Invest in persistent content creation despite slow starts, as it builds evergreen assets for scalable incoming traffic.
Calculate your average revenue per user before scaling ads to ensure positive returns without burning through capital.
Launch affiliates with tiered incentives like revenue shares for growth mode or feature unlocks for profit-focused automation.
Adapt the roadmap flexibly, testing outgoing or ads earlier if your network or budget allows, to accelerate milestones.

MEMO

In the competitive arena of software-as-a-service startups, explosive growth often hinges not on groundbreaking innovation alone but on a deliberate science of user acquisition. Simon, a seasoned founder who bootstrapped three products to over $1 million in annual recurring revenue, demystifies this process in a blueprint for founders. He emphasizes that while products must solve real problems, their trajectory depends on systematic strategies tailored to each growth phase—from scraping together the first handful of users to automating inflows at scale. This isn't serendipity; it's a replicable framework that has propelled underdogs to millionaire status in mere years.

The journey begins humbly: securing those pivotal first five users through outgoing outreach. Simon advises tapping personal networks—friends, family, colleagues—via zero-cost emails or direct messages, pitching a minimum viable product with free lifetime access in return for candid feedback. These aren't mere signups; they're collaborators. By corralling them into a tight-knit community on Discord, WhatsApp, or Facebook, founders can iterate rapidly, smoothing edges and incorporating wishes. This investment pays dividends, as Simon notes: it forges advocates whose loyalty sparks the next wave.

Scaling to 100 users shifts to referrals, leveraging those early evangelists without financial bait. Advocates receive shareable links, and newcomers get steep early-bird discounts, fostering an exclusive vibe that eases organic promotion. Simon's experience shows this viral loop thrives when users feel ownership, often obviating paid incentives. Yet, as ambitions grow toward 500 or 1,000 users, manual tactics falter. Here, incoming methods take center stage: relentless content creation. Long-form YouTube videos, SEO-optimized blogs, snappy TikToks, and public build updates on LinkedIn or Indie Hackers draw self-motivated signups. It's grueling—engagement lags initially—but Simon insists persistence compounds, with existing revenue funding the wait.

For perpetual expansion beyond 1,000, Simon advocates hybrid automation. Repurpose top content into paid ads across Google, Meta, and TikTok, calibrated to revenue per user for returns like 3:1 on spend, allowing reinvestment or profit extraction. Complement this with formalized affiliates, dangling 10-50% revenue slices to incentivize widespread sharing. Whether chasing hypergrowth or steady autopilot, the key is flexibility: mix models as needed. Simon's roadmap, battle-tested on his own ventures, underscores a truth for bootstrappers—strategic acquisition turns modest MVPs into empires, one deliberate step at a time.